Read Online As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gregory Galloway
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around.”
“It’s true,” Carl said. “Everyone’s out to get you.”
I found Adam after school. “Carl says that your sister still likes me.”
“Why shouldn’t she?”
“I’m not so sure things went all that well,” I said.
“She’s just shy. You didn’t tell her that I talked to Carl, did you?”
“No.”
“I mean talked to him at all.”
“No,” I said.
“All right. Give Melissa another call. If you want to, I mean.”
I don’t know whether Adam talked to his sister or not, but she was a lot different the second time we went out. She even spoke. We started going out after that, hanging out after school and on the weekends. She would call me every night, and it was all right at first. Then I got bored, I guess. I don’t really know what happened; I just knew that I didn’t really like spending time with her anymore, no matter how much we kissed. I didn’t feel a connection with her; nothing drew me toward her. Something about her made me want to be away from her whenever we were together. I take that back—there wasn’t anything wrong with Melissa Laughner. There was something about me that made me want to be away from her. We would sit at my house and watch TV, and the time would barely move forward to when she would leave. I didn’t know what to say around her, and the fact that she was quiet made me uncomfortable or uninterested, or both. It was easier to be alone, I thought. At that time I wanted to be alone, I guess. And then I was. More than I wanted.
I hardly knew how to get into a relationship, and I had no idea how to get out of one. I wanted to break up with Melissa, but I didn’t know what to say or what to do. Everything dragged on for a few more months, and when the freshman spring dance was coming up, Carl and I devised a plan.
Melissa and I were supposed to go to the dance together, of course, but I called her at the last minute on the night of the dance and told her that I was sick and couldn’t make it. She said that she wasn’t going to go either then, but I persuaded her to go. She could hang out with her friends and have a good time without me. She had to go to the dance. That was critical. Because when Carl saw her sitting at a table by herself he went over to her and said, “I’m sorry you guys broke up,” then acted all surprised when she acted surprised. “I didn’t know he was sick,” Carl then lied. “He told me he was going to break up with you before the dance, so I figured . . .”
Melissa immediately went home and called me. “Carl said that you were going to break up with me before the dance tonight.”
“I’m sorry about that, Melissa. I was going to, but then I got sick and I didn’t want to do it over the phone.” To tell the truth, that’s exactly how I had wanted to do it. Carl had no problem breaking up for me. In fact, I think he enjoyed it. It was simply another transaction for him. I was a coward, I admit it. And I’d like to say that I felt bad, but the next day Carl and I were laughing about it.
“You should have seen her face,” he said. “It was like I’d hit her in the head with a shovel. How often do you get to do that?”
Melissa didn’t talk to me again for a long time. She went around and told people some shit about me, and a few more people in the world stopped talking to me. I didn’t have that many friends to begin with, and now Melissa was subtracting a few more. She left notes in my locker telling me how terrible I was and how much she hated me. I ignored them. I don’t know why I was all in a hurry to get away from her; it wasn’t like I was suddenly doing something more exciting after we broke up. I would wander around town by myself, try to avoid going home to my mother, and watch Carl conduct his business. I couldn’t go with him—that was bad for business, he said—so I would follow him around, spying from a safe distance. That’s what I did now that I wasn’t with Melissa—I spied on my best
“It’s true,” Carl said. “Everyone’s out to get you.”
I found Adam after school. “Carl says that your sister still likes me.”
“Why shouldn’t she?”
“I’m not so sure things went all that well,” I said.
“She’s just shy. You didn’t tell her that I talked to Carl, did you?”
“No.”
“I mean talked to him at all.”
“No,” I said.
“All right. Give Melissa another call. If you want to, I mean.”
I don’t know whether Adam talked to his sister or not, but she was a lot different the second time we went out. She even spoke. We started going out after that, hanging out after school and on the weekends. She would call me every night, and it was all right at first. Then I got bored, I guess. I don’t really know what happened; I just knew that I didn’t really like spending time with her anymore, no matter how much we kissed. I didn’t feel a connection with her; nothing drew me toward her. Something about her made me want to be away from her whenever we were together. I take that back—there wasn’t anything wrong with Melissa Laughner. There was something about me that made me want to be away from her. We would sit at my house and watch TV, and the time would barely move forward to when she would leave. I didn’t know what to say around her, and the fact that she was quiet made me uncomfortable or uninterested, or both. It was easier to be alone, I thought. At that time I wanted to be alone, I guess. And then I was. More than I wanted.
I hardly knew how to get into a relationship, and I had no idea how to get out of one. I wanted to break up with Melissa, but I didn’t know what to say or what to do. Everything dragged on for a few more months, and when the freshman spring dance was coming up, Carl and I devised a plan.
Melissa and I were supposed to go to the dance together, of course, but I called her at the last minute on the night of the dance and told her that I was sick and couldn’t make it. She said that she wasn’t going to go either then, but I persuaded her to go. She could hang out with her friends and have a good time without me. She had to go to the dance. That was critical. Because when Carl saw her sitting at a table by herself he went over to her and said, “I’m sorry you guys broke up,” then acted all surprised when she acted surprised. “I didn’t know he was sick,” Carl then lied. “He told me he was going to break up with you before the dance, so I figured . . .”
Melissa immediately went home and called me. “Carl said that you were going to break up with me before the dance tonight.”
“I’m sorry about that, Melissa. I was going to, but then I got sick and I didn’t want to do it over the phone.” To tell the truth, that’s exactly how I had wanted to do it. Carl had no problem breaking up for me. In fact, I think he enjoyed it. It was simply another transaction for him. I was a coward, I admit it. And I’d like to say that I felt bad, but the next day Carl and I were laughing about it.
“You should have seen her face,” he said. “It was like I’d hit her in the head with a shovel. How often do you get to do that?”
Melissa didn’t talk to me again for a long time. She went around and told people some shit about me, and a few more people in the world stopped talking to me. I didn’t have that many friends to begin with, and now Melissa was subtracting a few more. She left notes in my locker telling me how terrible I was and how much she hated me. I ignored them. I don’t know why I was all in a hurry to get away from her; it wasn’t like I was suddenly doing something more exciting after we broke up. I would wander around town by myself, try to avoid going home to my mother, and watch Carl conduct his business. I couldn’t go with him—that was bad for business, he said—so I would follow him around, spying from a safe distance. That’s what I did now that I wasn’t with Melissa—I spied on my best
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